More than 75 percent of Venezuelans now live in extreme poverty

A new study published Wednesday, Reuters reported that more than 75 percent of Venezuelans now live in extreme poverty. named.

The news service reported that the National Survey of Living Conditions 2020-2021 found that the proportion of Venezuelans living in extreme poverty rose about 10 percentage points from last year, from 67.7 percent last year to 76.6 percent this year.

Nearly 95 percent live in poverty, according to research by Andres Bello Catholic University researchers, who surveyed 14,000 households in 21 of the country’s 23 states between February and April.

Contributing factors to this extreme poverty include fuel shortages, COVID-19, and a lack of adequate job opportunities.

“It’s a lack of opportunity,” Pedro Luis Espana, a sociologist from Andrés Bello Catholic University who worked on the report, told Reuters. “She sits at the door of the house and does nothing, not because she does not want to do anything, but because there is nothing to do.”

The report comes as the country is embroiled in a political and economic crisis, including shortages of essential supplies such as medicine and food, hyperinflation and energy shortages. According to the BBC.

Reuters noted that some argue that the conditions led to the mismanagement of the country’s economy.

The administration of President Nicolas Maduro has blamed the US sanctions on the underlying causes of the country’s predicament.

However, the United States also continued to provide financial assistance to the country, including the recent contribution of $336 million in humanitarian and economic aid. As of the State Department, the United States has provided more than $1.9 billion in financial assistance to the country since 2017.